


A cupcake of friendship

by Subaruchan192



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Birthday, Birthday Cake, Birthday Fluff, Birthday Presents, Developing Friendships, Enemies to Friends, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Getting to Know Each Other, M/M, Surprises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:07:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24508894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Subaruchan192/pseuds/Subaruchan192
Summary: Akechi isn't sure whether he wants to get to know Akira better, but their first meeting at the TV-station hasn't left his mind. Therefore he invites him to a café in Kichijoji, not knowing that Akira is full of surprises- in many ways- and that he is going to shake his world to the ground. But he also brings him a belated Birthday gift so how bad can it be?or:It's Akechi's Birthday today and he deserves all the love. So I wrote him a little fic in which Akira gives him a present on their rank 3 date. =)Can be read as the beginning of a romance or just friendship. Whatever you like =)
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 2
Kudos: 35





	A cupcake of friendship

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday, Goro Akechi =)

Goro Akechi wasn’t exactly a patient man, nor did he care much for other persons and yet here he was, waiting for Akira Karusu. Akechi shook his head about himself. It was a behaviour he hadn’t known of himself, but Akira truly had caught his eyes on the TV-station. The way he had stood up for his opinion in this calm demeanour even when it backfired for him. It was something Akechi had never experienced before. A person, who didn’t waver, no matter what was thrown at him. It was something rare, something precious. That was why Akechi had asked him to meet him in Kichijoji, because he wanted to get to know him better and that was a feeling Akechi didn’t know at all.

Then Akechi spotted him in the masses of people walking through the main street. Akira Karusu. The leader of the Phantom Thieves. _Joker_ they called him. How odd, Akechi had thought as he had watched them in Madarame’s palace. He was utterly unremarkable on the outside. No one would notice him and yet, he stood out in the crowd for Akechi. He wore a plain, white shirt and a denim with a brown leather bag, but he also carried a small paper bag, which he held close to himself, protecting it carefully so it wasn’t destroyed.

“Oh, Karusu-kun.” Akechi lifted his eyes and put on a wide, bright smile, which he always wore and yet was nothing but a fake. Akira turned his head to him and his face expression softened into one of kindness the moment he saw Akechi and the pretended ace-detective felt bewilderment about it. They barely knew each other. They had only spoken shortly, even though there had been a strong pull towards each other like opposite poles of a magnet. Akechi just tried to deny it to himself and to anyone. Maybe that was the reason to meet him in the first place- despite getting to know his opponent better- to prove that it had been just an illusion. That there was absolutely nothing between them. “I’m sorry for calling you out all of the sudden and thank you for coming.”

“Thank you for inviting me.”, Akira said with a voice unnaturally deep for a teenager and his steel grey eyes looked warmly at him behind the faked glasses. Something deep rested inside of him as if he was able to see right through him and it was a feeling Akechi truly didn’t know. It unsettled him greatly, but he caught himself quickly. He knew he could fool anyone with his charm.

“My pleasure.” Akechi couldn’t help, but to notice that his smile became a little bit more honest and how Akira’s friendliness rubbed off on him and enlightened a warm feeling inside his stomach, which Akechi absolutely hated. No, no! There was no bond between them. There was no bond Akechi had to anyone and it wasn’t like he wanted any. Akechi knew he was unwanted in this world. That there was no place for him and therefore, he had to carve it through violence and actions, which most would see as despicable, but they were necessary for him to survive. “I have to admit our first meeting didn’t leave my mind.”

 _Lie_. It echoed in bold, red letters through his mind. It hadn’t been their first meeting. They had run into each other many, many times. In the real and the other world. It had just been at the TV-station that Akechi had realized it had been _him_.

“Likewise.” Happily, with an honest smile, Akira tilted his head and there it was again. That pulsing, which appeared to resonate in the air. No! Akechi shook his head. It couldn’t be and yet, his heart made a small jump, a leap of faith and hope and Akechi truly couldn’t deal with an awakening heart in this moment. It was dangerous and yet, Akira enthralled him. He was the leader of the Phantom Thieves and yet he was that friendly to a stranger. Either Akira was incredibly naïve or the most brilliant strategist Akechi had ever met and he knew already that he was the black mask.

“I just happened to have some free time despite all my interview and there’s a café around, which has excellent cakes, but enjoying them alone is quite sad.” A stream of silver ran through his amber eyes and they became a bit darker. Akira watched him, his gaze and face unmoved, but Akechi had the feeling he had noticed it anyway.

“Well then, shall we try it out and get to know each other better?”, Akira offered and there was an odd goodness resting in it. As if he knew everything about Akechi’s darkness and still approached him with an open heart. What Akechi hated even more was he liked the idea. Somehow, Akira made everyone feel comfortable in his presence. Even a distorted being like Akechi. Or maybe him in particular?

“That is a lovely idea.” Akira sounded amused and a bright smile enlightened his face. Then he moved past Akechi, taking several steps, before he noticed that Akechi wasn’t following him. He turned around and looked at him with an emotion in his eyes with which no one had ever looked at him. “What? Are you coming?”

Goro blinked. Once, twice, but then a small smile spread over his lips and he nodded. With quick steps he closed up to Akira and they walked together to the café.

~*~

A slice of chocolate cake stood in front of him and Akechi watched it with a strange melancholy in his eyes. Humanity associated so much with sharing sweets together. So many things Akechi had never been allowed to experience and it filled him with a deep, cold sadness which in turn caused a hot anger to boil inside of him. To hide his feelings away, Akechi turned his head to the faceless masses of humans, which passed them without actually caring to them. It was another masquerade of his.

“That looks delicious.” Akira’s voice was appreciative and somehow, Akechi hoped it didn’t only belong to the cake. It was odd, but he hoped Akira would appreciate his company, too. “Do you like sweet things, Akechi-kun?”

Akechi turned back around to Akira, who watched him with an interested gaze. The paper bag, which had caught Akechi’s eyes earlier, still rested on his lap, what the lying detective found strange. Why hadn’t he put it next to him? Akechi couldn’t say why exactly, but appeared like an important puzzle piece to him. He just didn’t know where to put it at the moment.

“Not in particular.”, he said casually, while he swirled the spoon through his coffee, his head resting on his other hand. “But it’s quite a trend lately and I like to try these things out in order to be able to talk about it.”

 _Truth_. This time the letters in front of his inner eyes were white. Surprised, Akechi blinked. How easily it had slipped him and how much of his had rested inside. Surely, it was a logical step to give Akira a bit of himself in order to gain his trust, but that had revealed too much, though it was hidden. He just hoped that Akira hadn’t noticed, but somehow, he felt that he wasn’t that lucky. There was a little frown resting between his brows and even though the window glass reflected the evening sun, Akechi was sure the light-hearted expression had disappeared out of his eyes. But he said nothing. He only watched him, unmoved, but Akechi felt strangely exposed.

Why? Why was he looking at him like this? They barely knew each other and yet there was so much more intensity between them than it had ever been with any other person Akechi had crossed path with.

“Then let us find out what is so special about it.” Akira grinned widely. “Or if the others are just followers and idiots.”

Akechi couldn’t help, but to smile honestly at the new, more devilish side of Akira, which fitted so much better to _Joker_. That smile of mischief and that sparkle of red dancing through his eyes made Akechi understand a little better, why they had chosen this codename for him. Joker. A card, which could be played anytime. A card, which fitted into every situation. A desperate card, which tried to fit in and therefore became a mirror. A reflection of what other wanted and needed to see in him. How bizarre for a leader, but he liked it. He enjoyed this sinister, smug side of Akira.

“Yes.” He nodded eagerly and dug his fork into the cake. It was incredibly fluffy and succumbed to the pressure. A warm, chocolaty scent filled the summer air, dancing like the scent of flowers in spring. Goro expected an almost unbearable sweetness to pollute his tongue, but it felt surprisingly soft and tender. A warmth began to spread through him from where the heavy chocolate sat on his tongue.

The conversation was light afterwards. Nothing of importance, but for Akechi it felt pleasant and he could feel how that flicker he had tried to deny was pulsing again. Something inside of Akechi pulled him back to Akira over and over again.

Akira was a surprisingly pleasant person to talk to. Akechi couldn’t deny that. He had interesting point of views. He was calm and thoughtful, not wasting a single word like many people did. In general Akira didn’t seem a person of waste and sometimes, there was a flicker in his eyes, which felt oddly familiar to Akechi. Akira was hiding something behind his friendliness, too, though it wasn’t unreal. There weren’t two different personas resting inside of him like in Akechi. He was just a three-dimensional being.

For a short moment in time, Akechi felt absolutely carefree and normal. As if he was nothing more than a young adult hanging out with a school friend, but just like everything in his life it couldn’t last forever. Soon, Akechi heard the excited, bright mumbling of some women in his back, which made the fine hair on his back rise.

“Isn’t that the detective from the TV?”, he heard and lowered his eyes with a twinge of sadness.

“You think it is Akechi-kun?”, another woman said and a small crowd began to gather around him. Akira watched them out of the corners of his eyes with a certain glimmer of disappointment as he looked at the empty plate with some remorse.

“I think I should ask him for a photograph!” Akechi lowered his head in honest sadness, a dark shadow clouding his eyes.

“Your life must be hard.”, Akira whispered and sad, compassionate eyes looked at him as if he understood him.

“Well…” Dismissively, he shrugged and tried to smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “That’s what comes along with being the ace detective.

“But you’ve done nothing wrong!”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Who is it?” Another girl stopped behind the terrace of the café and gasped. “A celebrity?”

“Looks like I’m out of time.” Akechi smiled slightly, honestly. “I wish I could have relaxed a little longer, though.”

Akechi truly did. He had enjoyed these few stolen moments from time greatly and he wished he could have stayed a little while longer, but maybe that was the price for his sins. Maybe he wasn’t allowed to experience something like this, because he was a born sinner.

“A shame I don’t have glasses like you. Maybe I would have been able to get out of the situation.” It was an attempt to wipe off the strange seriousness, which had settled between them and to ease his own heart, which felt heavy.

Suddenly though, something of Akira changed and he grinned, the brightness of an idea glistening in his deep eyes.

“How about we find out?”, he asked and stood up. Irritated, Akechi leaned back and blinked at him, feeling slightly uncomfortable as Akira came closer and closer. Then, everything happened way too fast for him to truly realize it. All of the sudden, Akira stood in front of him and carefully shoved his glasses onto Akechi’s nose and his hands, which were surprisingly warm, ruffled through his hair until it was as dishevelled as Akira’s. Irritated, Akechi blinked, trying to figure out what had just happened.

“Oh, he’s back. This time, I’ll get his autograph for…”, a fan exclaimed excitedly as Akechi sat back down and tilted her head in confusion. “Hey is that boy really Akechi-kun?”

The crowd began to mumble again, each word running like ants down his spine, making him shiver uncomfortably, but to his surprise the crowd soon decided that he wasn’t Akechi and scattered. Stunned and grateful, he looked at Akira, who sat comfortably in his chair.

“I can’t believe you actually did that!”, Akechi said, but he laughed as he began to comb his hair back in place.

“You looked great.” Akira laughed and took Akechi completely by surprise, but he caught himself quickly and played along:

“Is that so? Well, who else could make a peasant of the Detective Prince?”

And for the first time in forever, maybe for the first time in his life, he laughed honestly and the brightness of joy and sympathy spread through him. He was grateful that Akira had helped him out of his misery and had provided them more time, which he wanted to use.

“Well, it seems like our coffee is cold, now. Shall we order a new one?” Akira nodded, but something deep and thoughtful hung in his eyes as he watched Akechi, who ordered coffee, his hair still slightly dishevelled and Akira’s glasses still resting on his nose.

“You must be very lonely.”, Akira stated all of the sudden after the waiter had left with a serious face expression. It wasn’t a question. It was a statement and as Akechi looked up shocked, he saw seriousness and compassion in those deep, dark eyes. Akechi’s heart began to beat fast as he thought about what to answer. If he lied, Akira would sense it and would grow mistrustful and that was something Akechi didn’t want. So, he needed to be honest. At least to a degree.

“Yes…I can never be sure what their true intensions are”, he admitted with a voice heavier than he had intended and he casted his eyes down. All of the sadness he had forbidden himself to feel slowly rose inside of him and it was ice cold. “Well, it’s the downside of being famous.”

He still withheld the information that not only his fame locked his heart beyond a strong wall.

“I’m so sorry.”, Akira said to his surprise and he was honest. Akechi was able to hear and see it. There was no way this could be acted or a strategy. For that Akechi knew too well, how it would look like.

“What are you sorry for?”, he asked truly puzzled and blinked at him through his long lashes. “It’s not like it’s your fault.”

“Maybe not, but I know a little how you feel. I don’t want to go back to the place, where you have no friends. It almost destroyed me.” Suddenly, there was the same sadness inside his eyes like the one Akechi had just felt. The sadness of absolute desperation and defeat. Did Akira, who showed so much and yet so less, revealed a part of him?

“What do you mean?”, he asked and couldn’t hide the curiosity in his voice, though it felt inappropriate to him. The waiter came and brought them their coffee. Akira didn’t thank him this time. He only stared with a heavy gaze at the cup.

“I’m on probation and my parents sent me here to Tokyo to get rid of me.” The muscles on Akira’s jaw tensed and he pressed his lips together until they were nothing, but slim lines and grim anger glistened in his normally calm eyes. Akechi gasped in surprise. That was something he hadn’t expected. “But if you don’t mind, I don’t want to tell you what for. Not yet at least.”

Akechi nodded, but stayed silent. He didn’t know what to say and once again he questioned himself whether Akira was naïve or an incredible strategist. This was such a sensitive information, which could destroy any relation to Goro- or rather his masquerade. Yet, he told him. So, he either searched for a true bond between them or he knew how intelligent Akechi was and played with it.

“Disenchanted, Detective?”, Akira asked and smiled, but it flickered slightly. No, honest. Akira was truly trying to form a relation with him.

“No, no.” Akechi smiled charmingly, but also with a twinge of tenderness and waved it off. Slowly, Akira began to grow on him. “Just a little surprised. You don’t appear like a criminal.”

“I haven’t done what I was judged for.”

“Why didn’t you say that?”

“Because everybody does. Would you believe me, if I say it?” Akechi narrowed his eyes and thought about it for a moment.

“I don’t know. Guess I have to know you better for that.”

“So…you want to get to know me better?” There was a shimmer of hope in his voice, which surprised Akechi even the more. Maybe he shouldn’t. It was a double-edged sword. It could be a great advantage to gain Akira’s trust, but he had a feeling that he might bond too much and endanger everything.

Still, what harm could it be? Akechi was an excellent chess-player and he could still end it later. So, he nodded and Akira appeared to be relieved.

“I’m glad.” He exhaled and leaned back in his chair. Akechi frowned slightly. Akira truly was interesting.

Then, he noticed how Akira tightened his arms a bit tighter around the paper bag, which rested on his lap again and his curiosity won and he thought changing the topic to a more light-hearted one might be in his favour.

“Have you been shopping before we met?” He smiled friendly. “May I ask what’s inside?”

“It’s actually the reason, why I was a little late.”, Akira answered and put it onto the table. The paper rustled. “And it’s for you.”

“For me?” Akechi widened his eyes in surprise. For a moment, he believed that Akira was joking and waited for the reveal, but the calm eyes stayed unmoved on him. “What is it?”

“Open it and you’ll know.” Akira smiled and took a sip from his coffee. Maybe to hide his smirk. Akechi’s heart was beating fast, when he pulled the bag towards him and opened it. Inside rested a carton. A rectangle of maybe 10, 15 and 15 centimetres. Cautiously, Akechi picked it up, because Akira had protected it so carefully. He lifted the lit and saw a cupcake resting inside of it of chocolate dough and rested with vanilla butter crème and mint green splitters. A red and white candle rested in the crème.

“Wha…what is that?”, he stammered overwhelmed.

“A belated Birthday gift.”, Akira explained with a soft smile. “I found out that it was your birthday a few days before we met at the TV station. I really appreciate our acquaintance and therefore, I wanted to give you something. So, I stopped by a bakery to get it.”

“Ka…Karusu…”, he stammered. His heart beat wildly against his chest as he starred at the gift. It was the first time he has ever got a gift in his entire life.

“And now that you told me how lonely you are, I’m even more glad that I got it for you.” The expression on his face became warm. “Happy belated Birthday, Akechi-kun.”

“Thank you.”, he whispered deeply touched and began to ate it carefully. It tasted incredible. Maybe not just because it was well made, but because he felt Akira’s kindness and caring with every bite and it moved something deep inside of him.

“You’re welcome.”, Akira declared friendly. “I hope we can become friends.”

“I hope so, too.”, Akechi said and it was honest. Something he wouldn’t have expected at the beginning of his day. _A friend_ …it was what Akechi truly wished for, but he wasn’t allowed to carry such a craving in his heart. Still, it felt pleasant, like a flower slowly blossoming inside his heart and it was real. It was not a tool. It was not pretending. It was honest gratitude and Akechi couldn’t deny that the bond between them was becoming stronger.

Akira might be the only person he could like and that made him hate Akira evermore, because he shook his world to the ground and almost made him want to cancel his plan of killing him.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed it and I was able to give our favorite culprit a Birthday gift he deserves. Please let me know, what you think. =)


End file.
